Plymouth Argyle

Image source, Getty Images

Plymouth Argyle midfielder Malachi Boateng said he and his team-mates must keep their composure as they try and fight against relegation from the Championship.

Argyle suffered a morale-shattering 3-0 loss at home to Sheffield Wednesday on Saturday to leave them six points adrift of safety with 10 games to go.

Having started well, Argyle collapsed after conceding the first goal after 15 minutes.

"We have to go again, we have to keep our heads and keep pushing," Boateng said.

"Everyone sets out with the right intentions, the right things to do, the right drive and motivation before games.

"But sometimes it doesn't recognise on the pitch. Sometimes I feel like we need to show that emotion and show that drive on the pitch, even if we go a goal down, just try and climb again."

Having gone on a run of one loss in seven games in all competitions in late January and through February - during which they moved to within one point of safety - Argyle have failed to score in their past two league matches, including a 2-0 loss at relegation rivals Hull City last week.

"Everyone wants to be as consistent as they can, no-one's got the intention of just being good one week and bad one week," said the former Hearts player, who signed a three-and-a-half year deal at Home Park last month.

"But I feel like it's a group of lads that are willing to learn as well, which is good.

"I think we need to stick together at this point."

Image source, Getty Images

Plymouth forward Ryan Hardie, Leeds United winger Dan James, Portsmouth wide man Josh Murphy and Norwich City striker Josh Sargent are the four nominees for February's Championship player of the month award.

Hardie only played 101 minutes across three league games for Argyle last month but still netted four goals, scoring twice from the bench late on in the 2-1 win over West Bromwich Albion and another double in the 5-1 thrashing of Millwall.

James was in scintillating form for the Whites, scoring three goals and providing four assists in five games in February.

The 27-year-old netted one, set-up two and won a penalty in the 7-0 hammering of Cardiff, scored twice in the 4-0 win at Watford and laid on both goals in the vital 2-1 victory at title rivals Sheffield United.

Murphy provided four assists and scored one goal in five games for Portsmouth as they pulled further clear of the relegation zone in February with a draw and three wins, including a 2-1 victory against QPR in which the winger curled in a wonderful effort.

Sargent was prolific throughout February, scoring five goals in five games for Norwich City to take his overall tally for the league season to 11 in 21 appearances.

Plymouth will seek to get back to winning ways in the Championship as Sheffield Wednesday head to Home Park on Saturday (15:00 GMT).

The second-bottom Pilgrims are effectively seven points from safety and are winless in four league games, taking just two points and scoring two goals, since the thumping 5-1 win over Millwall on 12 February.

The Owls have one win in six and have lost their past three games to fall seven points and seven spots behind the play-off places.

• Plymouth Argyle have won each of their past four home league games against Sheffield Wednesday, scoring exactly three goals in three of those victories.

• Sheffield Wednesday have won each of their past two league games against Plymouth Argyle and could win three in succession against the Pilgrims for the first time in the EFL.

• Since losing five in a row at Home Park between February and April 2024, Plymouth Argyle have only lost four of 20 home Championship games (W8 D8).

• Sheffield Wednesday have lost each of their past three Championship matches and haven't had a longer losing run since losing the first four games of the 2023-24 season under Xisco Munoz.

• Sheffield Wednesday have conceded 27 goals in the final 30 minutes of Championship matches this season, shipping seven goals in this time period across their last five league games alone.

Hull City welcome Plymouth Argyle to the MKM on Tuesday (19:45 GMT) for a game with big implications at the foot of the Championship.

After their FA Cup adventure ended at Man City on Saturday, the Pilgrims find themselves second-bottom, three points behind the fourth-bottom Tigers, albeit with a far inferior goal difference.

A win for City could take them up to 19th, five points clear of the relegation zone.

• Hull City have won only one of their past seven meetings with Plymouth Argyle in the Championship (D2 L4), failing to win each of their last three (D2 L1) since a 1-0 away victory in February 2008.

• Plymouth Argyle are unbeaten in their past three league games against Hull City (W1 D2) and could avoid defeat in four straight meetings with the Tigers for the first time since doing so across the 2000-01 and 2001-02 seasons (W1 D3).

• Hull City have won the fewest points at home in the Championship this season (13 – W2 D7 L8), failing to win each of their five home league matches in 2025 (D2 L3), their longest winless start to a calendar year at the MKM Stadium since 2020 (P7 D1 L6).

• Plymouth Argyle are the only team in England's top four tiers yet to win an away game this season (D5 L12); they are the eighth Championship side to fail to win each of their first 17 away matches of a campaign, with each of the previous seven suffering relegation.

• Since his first Hull start in mid-January, Joe Gelhardt has had the most shots for the Tigers in the Championship (15) as well as created the joint-most chances (7 – level with Eliot Matazo).

Brent Pilnick
BBC Sport England

Image source, Rex Features

Plymouth Argyle captain Adam Randell remains an injury doubt for his side's key trip to Championship relegation rivals Hull City on Tuesday.

The 24-year-old midfielder missed Saturday's FA Cup loss at Manchester City with a quadricep injury he suffered in the 1-1 draw with Cardiff City the weekend prior.

The Pilgrims are three points behind Hull and would move up a place to 22nd in the Championship if they can register a first away league win of the season.

"He's right now in a 50-50 point for Tuesday night," Plymouth boss Miron Muslic told BBC Sport.

"It was a 'get smart and wise' decision to not get him involved at all at Manchester City to aim to keep him selectable and able for the next couple of weeks.

"The competition is clearly priority number one.

"Adam is in a very good way, sustainably performing, and we have 12 finals to go, we will need Adam in those kind of games."